XJTAG Announces DFT Assistant for Zuken CR-8000 PCB design suite

Zuken and XJTAG, a leader in boundary scan and design for test technology, have released a plugin that will enhance Zuken’s CR-8000 with a design for test (DFT) capability improving test coverage by allowing additional design checks during schematic entry. The capability is based on XJTAG’s DFT Assistant and will be released as a free plugin for Zuken’s CR-8000 Design Gateway users at Embedded World 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany.

Increasingly, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are densely populated, and physical access to the pins of many packages, such as Ball Grid Array (BGA), is impossible. JTAG was designed to remove the need for physical access, so it is now vitally important to get the JTAG chain right at the design stage. Many people are not aware of JTAG’s full capability: it is typically known for CPU debug, but it also facilitates test and in-circuit programming. Tools that utilise the JTAG capability do not come into play until after the first hardware becomes available, and they are often considered for manufacturing only. The XJTAG DFT Assistant incorporates JTAG testability as part of the design process before any hardware is produced, by reporting any potential design issues. Being able to validate the design early avoids board re-spins and costly delays to a project.